Both wheat futures and wheat options trading were active in July. As a result, year-to-date volume for the exchange is ahead of 2001 volume through July by 4.1 percent and is ahead of 2000. volume through July by more than 10 percent. The last annual exchange record was set in 2000.
The wheat options contract set several new records during the month of July. Volume traded in July beat all previous monthly records as 57,723 contracts were traded, breaking the previous record set only last month at 48,772 contracts, by 18.4 percent. Also, on July 17, the wheat options contract set a new annual record. Through the end of July, 260,464 wheat options contracts were traded. The previous annual record of 243,311 contracts was set in 2001.
This is the eighth month in a row that the wheat options contract has set a monthly record when compared to the same calendar month. Wheat options also set a new open interest record this month at 55,372 contracts. Open interest has been building since June, when the previous record set in 2001 was broken.
Wheat futures volume was extremely active in July. A total of 289,248 contracts were traded, making this month the fourth-largest in exchange history. The large increase in trading volume helped to bring wheat futures year-to-date volume to just 1.3 percent shy of 2001 January through July volume and 1.8 percent ahead of 2000 January through July volume. The last annual record for wheat futures was in 2000.
